Since 2010, the Edmonton Oilers have been graduating exceptional offensive talents to the NHL. Gabriel Desjardins' NHLE has been a guide for those seasons, and has predicted future performance accurately. And not only Hall and Nuge and Yak, but also Eberle and Paajarvi and Omark too. The equivalency has a new favorite, young Finn Toni Rajala. How high can he fly?

In past summers we've reviewed the minor league, junior and Euro forwards and placed them on the same level using Gabriel Desjardins' NHL equivalencies. Here's what the top end looked like 2010-12:

SUMMER 2010 NHLE (PER 82 GP)

Jordan Eberle 22-24-46 (.561 point-per-game)

Taylor Hall 17-29-46 (.561 point-per-game)

Magnus Paajarvi 16-22-38 (.463 point-per-game)

Linus Omark 20-15-35 (.427 point-per-game)

When the 2010-11 season actually rolled out, the NHLE was an excellent guideline. Jordan Eberle exceeded the number (.623) as did Hall (.646) and Omark (.529), while Paajarvi (.425) was well within the range. NHLE predicted all four would have offensive success given the opportunity, and all four proved it to be true during the 2010-11 season.

SUMMER 2011 NHLE (PER 82 GP)

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins 11-27-38 (.463 point-per-game)

Anton Lander 14-20-34 (.414 point-per-game)

The Nuge (.839) blew his number out of the water, mostly owing to an insane season on the PP. Lander (.107) was well below expectations based on opportunity and readiness.

SUMMER 2012 NHLE (PER 82GP)

Nail Yakpov 18-22-40 (.488 point-per-game)

Magnus Paajarvi 7-21-28 (.341 point-per-game)

Teemu Hartikainein 10-13-23 (.280 point-per-game)

Yakupov had the identical season to Hall two years earlier (.646) and as with Hall cleared his NHLE by some margin. Paajarvi (.381) passed his number by a little but Hartikainen (.130) was so poor he lost the opportunity for a one-way deal with the Oilers.

SUMMER 2013 (PER 82GP)

This year, I'm going to use Rob Vollman's NHL equivalencies. No disrespect to Gabe's originals, but the Vollman numbers are more recent and address those who have asked for updated equivalencies in the past. Pardon my math, but I believe these to be correct.

Toni Rajala 14-22-36

Mark Arcobello 11-23-34

Jesse Joensuu 11-15-26

Jujhar Khaira 6-17-23

Ryan Hamilton 14-9-23

Andrew Miller 10-13-23

Anton Lander 9-11-20

Kale Kessy 7-12-19

Ryan Martindale 7-8-15

Tyler Pitlick 4-8-12

Curtis Hamilton 6-5-11

Will Acton 4-6-10

Travis Ewanyk 3-5-8

Rajala is such an interesting player. Many will count him out as an "Omark 2.0" but he's young, posted splendid numbers in the AHL and he's a shooter. Rajala--at 21--just missed the point-per-game level and is certainly a candidate for NHL employment based on his season with the Barons. Toni Rajala had 149 shots on goal in 46 games and was cashing regularly.

WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?

The lesson from this year's NHLE: Watch Rajala! Also, some of those summer bets (Joensuu, Ryan Hamilton, Andrew Miller) are at the very least interesting. My look at the NHLE's from past seasons is hereand photo of Rajala courtesy Rob Ferguson, all rights reserved.

Lowetide has been one of the Oilogosphere's shining lights for over a century. You can check him out here at OilersNation and at lowetide.ca. He is also the host of Lowdown with Lowetide weekday mornings 10-noon on TSN 1260.

All that "small" forward crud is nauseating. NHL teams that are devoted to skill have success. Period. Yes, teams like Boston and L.A. and St. Louis have had success as well. But they have had skilled size. If you don't have the combination of both, I'll take just the skill over just the size.

Rajala shares many similarities with Detroit's Gustav Nyquist... a player who, in a bottom-six role, maintained a skilled game with linemates Damien Brunner and Joacim Ericsson against the eventual Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks. In other words, Rajala can contirbute in Edmonton, even in the lower half of the lineup. For that matter, so can Arcobello and Linus Omark.

Trading a prospect like Rajala is unwise, regardless of his size. The return will be minimal now so why not give him another year in the AHL and then consider using him as a replacement for Eberle. Ebs is expensive and will return far more in trade, maybe shoring up a glaring weakness like 2C while Rajala hypothetically can contribute 50% of Ebs' production for 1/6 the price. Not to crack on Ebs specifically but there was that unforgivable Flames jersey thing...

This could be a huge opportunity for Rajala. If the reports are true and Nuge doesn't start playing until the beginning of November and Hall is moved to centre, the Oilers could leave Hemsky on the 3Line and move Rajala into the top 6 if his pre-season play warrants it.

You might have chosen the worst Oiler prospect to use in support of your idea there. From 2008-2012 the Oilers took no active part in any of his development. One year (09-10) he spent in the Dub with the Wheat Kings, he spent three years with Ilves of the SM-Liiga (08-09, 10-11, 11-12) and only this past year did he step into the Oilers development program. So, for one year the Oilers have developed him and what did that bring them in return?

ECHL: 29, 18-20-38
AHL: 46, 17-28-45

The boy can play, and in tough, physical leagues too. First year of pro hockey in NA and he put up some of the best numbers in the AHL. To put his 46 game, 45 pt season in perspective, the league was led in point scoring by Brandon Pirri, a Blackhawks prospect who scored 75 pts in 76 games.

very very few featherweight players can take the punishment from a bigger man, over a long grueling season.

met Eberle - he's a solid 6" and 190+ pounds.

Rajala is listed at 163 pounds.

Get real.

Just so you know, those stats you have are the same as when he was drafted in 2009 so he is likely to have gained 15 lbs since then.

I agree to the fact that the team needs bigger, stronger players to fill in the roster to make up for lack of size and should try to trade Rajala for some of that if possible. to get the best value out of him it would be better having him play first line minutes scoring more than a PPG than 9 min night in the NHL

however, saying a player cant succeed based on size alone is asinine. Almost everyone told Theo Fleury couldn't play pro at 5'6".

Sure are alot of guys confident that the Oil can become the smallest Stanely Cup champion in memory. I think this tiny little lineup has the 2013/14 season to prove it can compete with and defeat the big boys. if they end up any lower then 18th in the league, expect to see a very talented, zippy little guy leave town.

I agree that I'd like for him to get a shot with ebs and hall while nug is out. Give the kid a go in the top 6 and see how he does. Then give him another year in ahl to develope. Don't agree wig trading him now before we know what we have , specially when he is tracking well and our forward depth is weak. Would be nice to have a forward who can fill in on the top 6 when we have injuries.

Nuge was in the 170 range when he was a rookie. Weight is something that can be gained when in a good development system, you know, kind of like the one the Oilers have been working on improving by massive leaps and bounds over the past few years. As someone else said, Rajala's only been in our system for a total of one year now.

Your entire argument revolves around his weight, while dismissing the actual proof in the pudding numbers he's been putting up at 163. You're also insulting the quality of competition across the board at the AHL level while you're at it, showing your compete and total ignorance of professional hockey at that level. Who do you think are playing in the AHL, smurfs? You think 6'+ and 200+ pound players are NHL exclusive? Rajala's been finding a way to score in the AHL among other really talented - and big - players.

I can't believe I had to waste my time pointing out common sense like this. Get real indeed.

at some point in the near future it may become apparent that the oil simply dont have room for three six million dollar wingers and they might require an affordable trigger man on the second line. i personally dont trade hall or yakupov...

If Ebs is 6ft tall I am 8ft. I am 6'1 235 and standing besides Ebs he "might" 5'11ish.And maybe 175. Not a chance he is 190. On a good day at buffet world he might be that.

What I tend to measure is "man strength". You all know what I mean. When your in your prime 25-30ish you've reached what you might call "man strength". Its the difference between what some of you are saying about NHL players and a guy like Rajala. He just hasn't filled out and gained that 'man strength". I'll give you a good example of it. George Laraque vs Teemu Hartikanen. George had man strength. Teemu my sister could knock off the puck. You have to develop that kind of strength not just in the gym but on and off the ice. That's the purpose of cross training. To build core strength in all areas.

I'll give you a prime example of "man strength". Messier. He was specimen as a teenager and as young 18-19 year old. But you look at Messier in 1990 or 1993 and compare him physically to when he first came in the league. The guy in 1993 was an unstoppable force. There wasn't a guy in the league who could knock Messier off the puck. Lindros maybe. But the rest of the league. Not a chance. Old Man Power.

Rajala has the skill. He needs time to develop man strength. Its not his height or his weight that is the key. Its that man strength. Its that ability to use that which were given at maximum capacity when called upon. I know guys 5'8 who can lift just as much as I can. So to those posters who believe size and weight determine the ability to compete in the NHL you should really give your heads a shake.

I mean, those guys must have busted / dislocated / ripped Rajala a good dozen times during their seven game playoff series.

Oh, wait, hang on a second. It says here (http://theahl.com/stats/player.php?id=4710) Rajala put up 16 pts in 17 playoff games. That's impossible, no one that small could do that, especially with his shoulder ripped off. No way. Must have been some other guy.

Hey TayLordsBalls. Something really disturbing about that handle. Anyway, what part of:

"Before you start sputtering that Rajala is no Kane, I didn't say that he was, just that physical size is not always the best way of judging a players chances for success."

...don't you get? I clearly stated that they only comparison was their size and your answer is typical of someone who has no argument and must resort to childish behaviour. Do you only see what you want to? Your sputtering nonsense reply, "Patrick Kane? dream on!", is exactly as I predicted.

Trading a prospect like Rajala is unwise, regardless of his size. The return will be minimal now so why not give him another year in the AHL and then consider using him as a replacement for Eberle. Ebs is expensive and will return far more in trade, maybe shoring up a glaring weakness like 2C while Rajala hypothetically can contribute 50% of Ebs' production for 1/6 the price. Not to crack on Ebs specifically but there was that unforgivable Flames jersey thing...

This is the only logical post on this whole argument. Props to Reg. Common sense wins again. Balls is a bully.

Easy answer.Now many 5'2" players are in the NHL and how many 6'2" players are?

Now do you understand?

Thankfully Rajala is not 5'2 then. Remember that skinny kid who played for Edmonton years ago. Yeah that guy. What did they say about him. Oh he is never going to make it in the NHL. He's too small. Too soft. NHL career point leader when he retires. Just saying that we need to keep an open mind and realize that the old adage that its the fight in the dog, not the dog in the fight that applies in many cases.